Peach Lover

Have you eaten yet?

Sasom was still not fully awake. He was in a state of semi-reality, semi-dreaming. He knew that cuddling a fluffy white cloud was impossible, yet the sweetness and comfort made it hard to pull away.

Last night, he pushed himself way beyond his limits. He should have gone to bed before midnight to have the energy for work this morning. But when he turned around and saw Po’s naked body, the famous actor couldn't resist grabbing the sweet-faced, Korean-style man and caressing him again.

The more he thought about the fact that "this fruit has never been touched or tasted by anyone before," the more aroused he became. He felt like he did in his youth, full of curiosity and experimentation—easy to get, hard to get down from. Those who were already at a disadvantage became even more so.

....But wait, I have work this morning?!

Realising that there was a fitting for a new drama this morning woke me up completely.

"Yeah..."

But then he hesitated...when he heard the moan of ‘Pui Mek’ (Cloud), who was embracing him with both hands. Waiting until he was sure he hadn't accidentally woken him, he carefully backed away, eventually standing at the foot of the bed, watching him.

....Crazy sexy....

That was my first thought after observing the person who was sleeping soundly. Some people might be alluring when awake and look like little children when asleep, but for this man, I concluded to myself that it would be difficult to escape if I fell asleep anywhere... Just the slightest parting of his mouth was enough to make him a kidnapped person. If others saw him naked as I did, they would definitely have evil intentions.

He restrained himself by quickly averting his gaze from the person lying there, before he himself became the one harbouring wicked thoughts towards Po.

The tall man slowly gathered his clothes and put them on, then picked up his phone to text his trusted assistant, Inn, to pick him up and take him back to his condo to get ready. Because if he went to the costume fitting in this state, his fellow actors would surely ask Who did you get into a fight with?

As usual, Inn might know his boss better than his boss knows himself, because the moment he sent the message, his close assistant replied that he was waiting at the front door. So it was time for the famous actor to say goodbye.

He was about to leave the house when his eyes caught sight of a Post-it note and a pencil on the bookshelf. A thought struck him, making him pause. He began writing his message skillfully, but then hesitated over where to stick it.

The large man hesitated, raising the note and scanning the living room, making gestures as if to stick it there repeatedly, until someone burst into laughter at the seriousness of his actions.

‘You're crazy for collecting these. Just stick them on already. Get one already.’

After muttering a lighthearted, self-deprecating remark, his eyes fell upon the TV, which had been showing the drama he starred in yesterday. He decided he should stick a Post-it note there and hurried out to the waiting car.

Seeing that his boss said nothing, the trusted assistant quickly drove off according to his mental time calculation. He never expected that, shortly after driving away from the boss's house, he would hear a burst of amused laughter coming from the back seat. The sound was so cheerful that Inn felt compelled to be impolite to his boss.

"You seem so happy today, Mr Sasom."

"Of course," Sasom himself didn't seem to want to hide it. "I'm incredibly happy, Inn."

“Is it about Khun Po?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.

“Do you know, Inn, when I asked Po, ‘Are you going to tell anyone about me?’ what he said?”

"Answer what?"

"What would I gain besides ruining your life?"

"That's what he told me."

"I absolutely love it."

Today is brighter than I expected.

At first, I thought it would leave me with some lingering pain, or at least leave me so sore and exhausted that I'd need painkillers, like I'd read about in the BL novels I illustrated the covers for. But the result was completely different. I felt neither pain nor soreness, but rather a feeling of... something accumulating inside me, all the time!

The person who left those marks on me disappeared this morning. I was completely taken aback when I woke up and found the bedside table empty. I spent a long time in the bathtub trying to calm my inner turmoil before getting out and encountering something that only intensified that turmoil exponentially.

"Add me :)"

I smiled, a smile I didn't even realise I'd started. Then I hurried around the house, looking for my phone to add Sasom's LINE ID. Okay... I guess I have to wait for him to accept before I can talk to him. If so, I'll go grab something to eat in the meantime. And I still have some drawing work waiting for me. There's so much to do.

Another day relying on convenience stores for my meals. I wanted to order something to eat, but since I'm the type who gets hungry the moment I wake up, ordering and waiting for delivery would be too much of a hassle.

“Customer.”

"Yes?"

I looked up from my wallet. The way the employee in front of me addressed me made it clear they had something to offer me.

"Are you interested in exchanging for a silk bag? It's beautiful, and only eighty-nine baht."

"Uh... no, thank you."

I already have a house full of cloth bags. This is just my own personal bag for carrying things.

"Are you really not interested? Why don't you take a look? I'll get one for you to see." "Is..."

The employee didn't listen to me at all. She turned around behind the counter and then handed me a cloth bag neatly packaged in a cardboard box. And as soon as I saw the design printed on it...

"Um...how many patterns are there?"

"There are four different designs to collect. I'll get them for you to choose from."

"N-no problem, sir... I'll take all four types."

"Wow, you're a Sasom fan too? Okay, sure. I'll get one for you."

I was completely flustered. I could only manage a weak smile while glancing left and right. Luckily, everyone was at work by then; otherwise, I would have been utterly mortified by what the employee had said.

And so there it was. After confirming that I wanted all the different styles, I ended up carrying a tote bag with a screen-printed design of Sasom Woraphatchalakorn, the latest presenter for that incredibly influential convenience store chain.

Thinking about it now, I really want to slap myself on the forehead. Am I crazy? Why did I buy so many? I totally don't understand myself!

But anyway, after looking at each style, I couldn't help but smile. What kind of person looks good in any pose? It got to the point where I had to ask myself, Is this the guy who took your virginity, Po? It feels like a dream.

By the way...has he accepted my friend request yet?

Okay, not yet. He hasn't accepted. He's probably busy. No problem. I'll check back later, after I finish the cover illustration.

Then Ping!

But it seems my initial thought was at odds with reality. I initially planned to open it after I finished my work, but instead, I find myself jumping for my phone every time a notification sounds, only to find that almost all of them are messages from my employer.

I completely lost my mind. I was so anxious, I even thought to myself, ‘Am I going to get used and then dumped?’ Which is totally ridiculous. Who would get used and then dumped? Is your lack of affection acting up again? He's not anything to you, and he never will be. Stop fantasising.

Keep working!

Ping!

This time, I don't care anymore. It's probably not going to be Sasom. I'd better hurry up and sketch this cover art for the protagonist and send it to the writer so I can start getting something to eat. Look, I'm wasting so much time; before I know it, the sun's already set!

Ping!

Ugh, so annoying! I'm going to mute it!

I grabbed my cell phone again, intending to silence it and be done with it, but my plan was immediately abandoned by the message displayed on the screen...

Sasom: Po, I'm almost at your house.

Sasom: Please open the door and wait for me.

Sasom: I'm afraid people will see me.

Sasom: As soon as we arrive, we'll go inside.

Sasom had messaged!

I immediately jumped up from my desk. No more drawing or sketching. Wait a little longer, Mr Writer. I promise I'll send it on time. But for now, I need to open the door for those who have been waiting all day. I don't want them to keep waiting any longer.

At first, I intended to turn on the lights in front of the house, but when I saw that the people next door were doing something near their fence, I changed my mind and decided to wait for Peach Lover in the dark instead.

Soon, a familiar car pulled up and parked. Sasom opened the door, got out, and hurried into the house. Damn... he looked like he was afraid someone would see him.

Getting his attention made me feel excited, too. I quickly waved hello to Inn, then hurried the other person into the house.

“Have you eaten anything yet?”

That was the first question he asked. He showed me many bags in his hands, which looked quite heavy. So I offered to help him carry some, then led him into the kitchen.

“Not yet.”

"Great, then we can eat together."

I didn't turn to look when he spoke because I was busy finding a place to put the bags in my hands, but as usual, his voice was cheerful, as if he was pleased to have someone to eat with.

"Busy today, huh?" I continued, reaching for a plate in the cupboard above the counter. "I've been waiting for you to accept my LINE friend request for ages."

Damn... I accidentally sounded a bit harsh. N-no, I didn't mean to!

There it is, bad luck. He's been keeping quiet about it. I, who was probably the cause of the silence, cautiously turned to look at him. And to my surprise, not only was the famous actor not making a grumpy face as I'd imagined, but he even seemed to be smiling teasingly at me!

"Are you angry with me? :)"

"N-no, I'm not angry or anything. Just..."

"Irritable?"

I continued shaking my head before realising that saying anything more wouldn't improve the situation, so I abruptly ended the conversation by turning back to pour the food onto a plate.

“Wha...you?!”

But instead of letting go, he closed in from behind, pressing so tightly that my knees almost buckled... He's not about to...?!

"Why are you so surprised? I'm just going to help :)"

This guy is so mean! At first, he acted like he was going to do something inappropriate with me, but then he changed his mind and just grabbed an empty plate and poured the food into it instead. He was clearly deliberately teasing me!

No way! I quickly grabbed some food and set it on the dining table. I figured if I stayed any longer, he'd just find another way to tease me. Sure.

“Do you want a lot of rice?”

"No, half is enough."

He scooped the rice from the container for me as I requested, before pouring two full containers of rice for himself. I couldn't help but comment because I didn't expect someone as fit as him to eat so much.

“Is that too much?”

"Not at all."

The big eater confirmed this before touching the bag next to him with his finger. "I'll eat these two boxes too."

"Wow"

"It's not much. Even if I ate all of this, it wouldn't give me as much energy as I expended today."

"What did you do today?"

"Morning was a costume fitting for the drama; later in the morning I had a magazine interview, and from noon to 5 pm we did reshoots. That's why I asked Inn to buy me food. I'm starving!"

"Then eat a lot!" I quickly piled food onto his plate as soon as I heard what he had to do in a single day, without realising that it would make him freeze. "Uh... what is it?"

"No, nothing."

The other person responded with a faint smile before continuing to eat, as if nothing had happened a few seconds earlier.

Although I was a little confused, seeing him happily continue eating, I started eating too. There's no point in overthinking it. If he wants to tell me something, he'll tell me eventually.

To be honest, having a meal together like this made me realise that Sasom is quite fun to talk to. He had so many stories to tell me, especially gossip about people in the industry. It was a real eye-opener. I just found out that actress J. is dating actor K., and that supporting actor M., who's been rumoured to be dating girls all over the industry, is actually gay! The entertainment industry is really something.

“Come, let me help you pick it up.”

"No, thank you." I quickly stopped him. "You go sit down and rest. I'll handle it myself."

The famous actor nodded in agreement when I snatched every plate he was about to stack on top of his own. He glanced around as I gathered the leftover food into one plate, and then asked a question.

"Are your parents not home, Po?"

“They are not here,” I replied, nodding towards a photo of my mother and me on display on the bookshelf. “Actually, it was just my mother and me, but she passed away several years ago. As for my father… he lives in another house with his new wife. They’ve been together since before they kicked my mother and me out of the house.”

"Ah... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Hey, it's alright." I quickly waved my hand. "I don't regret it at all. It was all my mother's choice. It was her life, not mine."

He seemed a little taken aback by what I said, but all I could do was smile because I truly felt it. People can't choose where they're born, can they? They can't choose what kind of parents they have. So, since I didn't choose it myself, there's no reason to be sad. The person who should be sad is my mother, and she's already suffered enough. I don't see why I should pass on that suffering to her; it would be a waste of time.

I took all the dishes and put them in the dishwasher before returning to the living room. That's when I saw Sasom bending over, examining the MacBook on my coffee table.

“What are you doing?”

"Did you draw this yourself? 'Wow, his eyes are so bright and clear! I've never seen this side of him before. It's quite a sight."

“Very talented.”

"Thank you"

I wasn't humble at all; in fact, I responded with a sense of pride before squeezing past him and sitting down in front of my own MacBook screen. I then showed him my skills by drawing, and a loud "Wow!" came from beside me.

"You act as if you've never seen someone draw on a computer before." “I never have.” The other party replied with a smile.

"None of my friends ever draws."

He sounded as if having a friend who was an artist was amazing. "Then let me be your friend. That way you can have a friend who's an artist."

I was just joking. What kind of friend would I have? The only reason we're here is to film a pornographic video. Don't forget that!

"Being my friend isn't easy."

“Why?”

This time, I diverted my attention from my MacBook to look at him seriously, half-sitting, half-reclining on the sofa. That's when I caught a glimpse of the famous actor's dejected expression as he began talking about what seemed like a rather unhappy matter to him.

"My parents wouldn't let me hang out with people who aren't famous. They even forbade me from associating with less popular actors. They said it would be pointless and wouldn't benefit my life. Isn't that crazy?"

"Hey, but I'm famous," I tried to lighten the mood. "Go ask anyone in the book industry. Does anyone know 'Japo'? Seriously. You don't believe me?"

"Believe it."

"But my parents probably wouldn't know you."

"Ouch, that hurts!" I pretended to wince, but only for a moment before I composed myself as a fun idea struck me. "How about this? Why don't you be my model? That way, I can become a famous artist that your parents will recognise."

“Huh?”

"Well... I'm about to hold an oil painting exhibition. If you were to be a model for one of my paintings, I think a lot of people would come."

"Wait a minute, are you trying to use me to climb the ladder to fame, Po?" Sasom asked, teasing him.

What I said might sound harsh, but the way he said it with that mischievous smile made it clear that not only was he not displeased, but he actually seemed to be enjoying it along with me.

"Yes, I will use your fame to make my own."

"And what will I get in return?"

"Okay, I can be your lunch buddy when you're tired. Isn't that good?"

"Hmm...that sounds interesting, but isn't it a bit too little? You know I'm very famous."

I can't argue with that, because the collector is really famous. He's handsome, has a great physique, and is... well, you know. (That's an extra bonus!)

"Then why don't you suggest anything else you'd like? Let's see if I can do it for you."

He started saving up, pretending to think it through with a smile. He seemed serious, but the results...

"I can't think of anything right now. I'll let you know when I figure it out." Oh no, I was really looking forward to listening.

"But... if you want to draw a picture of me, there's one condition." “What is it?”

I raised my eyebrows, genuinely curious about Sasom's condition. But when I saw what he did next... slowly unbuttoning his white shirt, one button at a time, revealing his chest muscles still bearing numerous marks from the night before, I had to swallow hard.

"Draw me wearing only my underwear, Japo."

"That way, lots of people will be interested :)"